Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment in Petaling Jaya

Over time, high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels that nourish the retina. The vessels can leak, swell or close, and in advanced stages new fragile vessels grow and can bleed.

It is a leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults, yet much of that loss can be prevented with early detection and treatment.

• Non-proliferative retinopathy (early): small vessel changes and leaks, often with no symptoms.
• Diabetic macular oedema: fluid builds up in the macula and blurs central vision. It can occur at any stage.
• Proliferative retinopathy (advanced): new abnormal vessels grow and can cause bleeding and scarring.

Early diabetic retinopathy usually has no symptoms, which is why screening matters. Later signs can include:

• Blurred or fluctuating vision
• Floaters or dark spots
• Dark or empty areas in your vision
• Sudden vision loss from bleeding

Seek urgent care for sudden vision loss or a shower of new floaters.

Everyone with diabetes should have a dilated retinal examination, generally at least once a year. People with type 2 diabetes should be screened when diabetes is diagnosed, and people with type 1 diabetes typically from about five years after diagnosis.

Pregnancy in women with diabetes and any change in vision call for earlier or more frequent checks. Your doctor may advise a different interval based on your results.

A dilated examination lets the specialist look at the whole retina, and an OCT scan shows any swelling in the macula. Your history of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol also guides treatment.

• Controlling blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol is the foundation and slows progression.
• Anti-VEGF injections reduce swelling and leaking in the macula and can treat proliferative disease.
• Laser treatment seals leaking vessels or treats the outer retina in proliferative disease.
• Vitrectomy surgery removes blood or scar tissue in advanced cases.

Early retinopathy often needs monitoring rather than treatment.